Albert Pujols rumored to land MLB managing gig after Cardinals keep Oliver Marmol

Chaim Bloom faced a big decision as he took over as the St. Louis Cardinals' president of baseball operations: Should he retain manager Oliver Marmol? While most, including myself, supported his decision to keep rolling with the manager that seems to be in lockstep with his vision for the future, that meant risking the potential of franchise icons like Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina going to a manager elsewhere.

Well, a new report suggests that it didn't take long for Pujols to land his first managerial gig in Major League Baseball.

Albert Pujols is expected to be named the next manager of the Los Angeles Angels

After an initial report came out yesterday from Hector Gomez indicating that Pujols was expected to become the next manager of the Los Angeles Angels, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo, and Sam Blum are now also reporting that Pujols is believed to be the leading choice for Angels' owner Arte Moreno.

Pujols played nine and a half seasons with the Angels after signing with them following the 2011 season, and part of that original contract he signed with the Angels meant he was to be employed by their organization for 10 years following his playing career. The Angels likely wouldn't have stopped Pujols from taking a managerial job elsewhere, but clearly, they were ready to pounce as Pujols made his intentions to manage clear over the last year.

Pujols lacks experience coaching at the Major League level, but he is someone who I think most people believe will make a great manager. I personally would have totally understood if the Cardinals let go of Marmol to hire Pujols, but now that potential reunion is going to be put on indefinite pause.

Since getting his first taste of managing experience last winter, Pujols has been very clear about his long-term desire to manage a big league club, so it always felt like a matter of when, not if, he would get a chance to do so. For Cardinals fans who hold out hope that he could manage the Cardinals one day, perhaps having his first stint happen with the Angels can help him develop in that role, and a reunion could happen between the two sides later down the line.

Bloom is committed to Marmol for at least 2026, so beyond that, who knows what the future holds? There is still a chance that Pujols could turn down the Angels job, but it feels like there is a lot of smoke here and something may happen in the near future.